Frances,

Further to my previous email. For some reason the name Quarrie as a witness, meant something to me.

Constance Radcliffe in her book on Bride refers to the poems and letters of a Bride resident George Quarrie, and when I looked up the reference to Ballavair, which was the farm that Eliza's first husband, Thomas Cowle, held, I hit something interesting.

In the 1830s, Eliza's daughter Ann by Thos Cowle married F J D LaMothe. Constance Radcliffe says "During the LaMothe ownership, John Quarrie, father of the dialect poer George Quarrie, was tenant for a long period"

It is an intersting coincidence that the witness at Eliza Corlett/Cowle's wedding to William Christian was a J S Quarrie and a J Quarry was tenant of Ballavair at about the same time,

Does anyone know if the initials of George Quarrie's father were J or J S. If J S then in makes identification much more likely.

With wishful thinking, one can always float 500 elephants in an eyeglass, but we have the possibility of a Quarrie - Ballavair - Eliza Cowle, Thos Cowle link there, which may be pure co-incidence, but it tilts the balance a little.

What is also interesting is that if the J S Quarrie is the guy who leased Ballavair from Ann and her husband, that for him to be a witness at the marriage of Eliza to Wm Christian, (who would be her stepfather therefore) would hardly be likely if there was friction between the Cowle and Christian families. (Being a witness at the wedding of your landlord's mother if the landlord is really miffed at the whole business does not make for good tenant-landlord relations !)

ANy suggestions as to how I can confrim the full initials of Geo Quarrie's father ?

Robert